


A Peaceful Day's Dawning

by mmmdraco



Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: Community: fifthmus, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-15
Updated: 2012-12-15
Packaged: 2017-11-21 05:35:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/594040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mmmdraco/pseuds/mmmdraco
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A typical day in the life of a Heian-era noble.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Peaceful Day's Dawning

The day began with a spark of life upon the horizon in the east. Heian-kyo began to stir from its slumber as the laborers prepared for the court nobles to awaken. For Fujiwara no Sai, the day dawned peacefully with a soft breath of wind; dashed through the divide between two papered shutters, it brushed over his face like a gentle caress. He drew the wind in as a breath and felt refreshed enough to rise. One of the many men whose sole purpose in the household was to guard the members of the Fujiwara clan could be heard outside of the door murmuring news of his awakening to one of the male household servants who entered the room with downcast eyes and a willing smile.

After a gentle sprinkle of water upon his bared flesh, it was time to dress. Kosoe and hitoe and shitabakama were easy enough to put on by himself, but Sai allowed the servant to help him into the embroidered kariginu and sashinuki hakama. Once they were secured, Sai allowed his favorite of the female servants to take over in order to comb out his hair. As she worked tirelessly to separate out small sections of his dark hair and work them free of tangles, they began to speak. "Sai-sensei, I see that you have no more facial hair today than you did last week!"

With a soft smile gracing his visage, Sai touched a hand to his chin. "I took inspiration from the smoothness of the white stones. Truthfully, I cannot seem to grow it, so I must make do with being as beautiful as I can without it."

"Perhaps you should try a mix of the extract of the Sanekazura tree with the iodine of seaweed? It is what I use to help my hair grow."

Luxuriating in the attention being paid to his own hair, Sai leaned his head back slightly. "It is all the better that you aren't placed higher in the court because of it. As you are, everyone may see your beautiful hair. Were you hidden behind a screen all day, I would grow weary without a single sight of beauty in my day."

The servant tittered a laugh that she hid behind one hand. "I would still be allowed to learn go from you without the screen."

"So you would." He breathed a deep sigh of the air. "Have you finished?"

His eboshi was settled upon his head softly. "I have now. You seem almost too ready to greet today's troubles."

Sai stood and moved to the small shelf along one wall that held the perfume of his own making that identified him as much as his hair, his smooth face and his skill upon the go ban. The scent of sweet chestnut, burnt sage and gingko surrounded him. Grasping the handle of his fan, he tucked it delicately in one sleeve and smiled to the servant. "Today should be no trouble at all. I have only to play go."

The sun was warm overhead as Sai walked down Gojou no Oji toward the main palace. He took in the gentle beauty of nature as birds flitted through the sky calling to one another and the last blossoms of summer trembled in their fervid hold upon the branches that bore them. The clouds seemed etched in the still colorful sky like a skillful yamato-e painting reversed to show the world beyond rather than the world within. As Sai walked over a small footbridge that crossed a pond, he turned his head to look at the ripples on the water from where a koi fish splashed at the surface; the concentric circles drawing his eyes toward the edge of the pond where a toad hid in the shadow of a fall tree limb. Sai shrank back at the sight and hurried along his way.

At the palace, he was expected. He was made to wait in the emperor's outer chamber where a brazier had been lit to heat water for tea. The room was warm with it and sweat sprang to Sai's brow. He produced a handkerchief from his sleeve and blotted carefully at his face and the back of his neck; glad that playing go kept him indoors enough that his skin stayed pale and he didn't have to resort to powdering his face like many of the other nobles.

When Emperor Ichijo entered the room, Sai began to bow, but the emperor waved him off. "Let us not stand on ceremony today. I have slept wrong and I am in no mood for manners."

"Of course. What would you like to do?"

Shoving aside doors and storming ahead, the emperor led the way to his go ban. "We shall play. I am in no mood either for being baited without the chance to strike." Sai smiled softly at the sight of the go ban and let his fingers trail along the side as he knelt on the floor pad.

The emperor placed four stones upon the board. "I know we play with three most of the time now, but I've been losing too often of late."

"Perhaps it would benefit you to have someone play the flute for you during our lessons? I have seen the calm that comes over you when you hear such music."

Stretching out one arm above his head to shake his robe off his arm, the emperor dug his fingers into his go ke and stared at Sai. "And let them see me when I am still so weak at this?"

"You are not weak at all!" Sai bowed his head. "There are so few people who play at the level that I do. It's why you wanted me to teach you in the first place, isn't it?"

"I chose you because you are of the appropriate lineage and you are talented and I had heard great things of your ability as a teacher, but I cannot say I think much when I do not seem to be improving."

His head unconsciously bowing downward already, Sai brought his fingertips together to rest on the ground in front of him and bowed his head low. "I am sorry. I will endeavor to do better from here on." He raised his head back up and grasped one smooth white stone and played it diagonal to one of Emperor Ichijo's handicap stones on the corner nearest him. The emperor was constantly wondering at Sai's worth, and Sai had molded him into a much better player than he had been. He would never reach Sai's brilliance, but the four stones he'd placed during their very first game and the four stones placed now were the difference between eating dried sardines and fresh tuna.

When the game ended with the emperor's win by one moku, Sai bowed his head low again. "Thank you for the game. You did strike well today. Perhaps we will advance again to three stones when next we play?"

Tilting his head just the tiniest bit forward, the emperor scowled and stood. "Four stones again next time and we will see how that goes. You are excused."

Sai bowed his head back down until the emperor left the room and closed the door roughly behind him before murmurring under his breath, "I could give you forty stones and I still might win." Shaking his head slightly, Sai stood and smoothed out his hakama so the pleats hung correctly. "Well, at least I managed not to say that to him in his presence." He was quick to move out of the room and toward the larger play area that existed in the other end of the Imperial Palace where many members of the court tended to gather and play. It wasn't strictly his purpose to play go against the other nobles, but he would be remiss not to engage in a game with many of the truly talented people in Heian-kyo.

Lunch would be served soon enough with one of his favorite players being a young girl who carried the trays of rice. He would steal her away from her duties easily enough and make her excuses for her if anyone dared to complaim. He was well-loved enough among the nobles that they would alloy him that, even if he was only a fourth rank noble himself. He had no desire to be higher up as it would grant him little more than the ability of carry a fan with 25 folds versus the 23-fold fan he carried now, and without any added duties beyond playing go as a pillar of Heian-kyo's go.

The sun was high in the sky now and heading toward the west in a slow arc. The scent of fresh tea ducked its way into rooms and cascaded down hallways. Sai's fingers already itched to touch more stones. There were games that must be played, such as his teaching games with the emperor, and games that were to be relished and remembered fondly, such as the game he hoped to play today. 

Go was go, certainly enough, but two people worked in harmony to bring about a game; letting it blossom between them like a tree in spring with yearning buds that swelled and broke open to reveal the beauty inside every one. Sai had heard of others telling of finding a partner to play with who make all of the buds blossom into a beautiful garden, but that hadn't happened to him yet. He'd seen only a handful of perfect blossoms in his time, but he had a few years yet of being able to play beautiful games and he intended to make the most of them.


End file.
